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Weekly K-pop playlist: August 29 – September 4

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kpop playlist songs korean august september 2016

Like every week, this weekend our writers put their heads together and picked their favorite K-Pop released of the past week. Soloist Jay Park came back with a new song, Nu’est returned with their second album of the year, and I.O.I added a track to the drama, “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo.”

“Me Like Yuh” by Jay Park (Released Sep. 1)

If you’re able to get through the cringey line of “I’d even dye my hair blond for ya, I can be your Justin Beiber,” “Me Like Yuh” is actually a pretty dope song. Detracting from what’s trendy in South Korea (trap, mainly), Jay Park taps into the Caribbean/deep house hybrid sound that is hot right now Stateside — all thanks to Cha Cha Malone, of course. For this fresh track, Jay refrains from rapping and serenades his love interest in his signature high-pitched voice. It;s more in tune with “Nana” rather than “Mommae,” or anything he’s released as of late. While most fans hate when Korean artists sound like mainstream Western music, “Me Like Yuh” has a nice groove that seizes your body and makes you dance and sway. I, for one, can’t wait for Jay’s album to drop. Even if it contains “Aquaman.”

— Alexis

Also on KultScene: K-Pop & the Collective Body Part 2: Seventeen, Cosmic Girls, & NCT

“Love Paint (every afternoon)” by NU’EST (Released Aug. 29)

While their little brother group Seventeen has shot to immediate success, it’s Pledis Entertainment’s NU’EST whose sound I’ve always been drawn to. Their latest, “Love Paint,” is filled with melodic synths and vocal harmonies that take the group’s sound into new, more artistic territory. (I can’t help but think of SHINee vs EXO at Korean music powerhouse SM Entertainment, where the former older group has been able to develop their own unique experimental style versus EXO’s more typical K-pop sound.) Between the pre-chorus builds and the underlying orchestral accompaniment, plus a really well delivered rap that sounds like it belongs on mainstream American radio (or at least “Show Me the Money!”), this is the sort of pop R&B I want to see more of from this group.

— Tamar

Also on KultScene: Who’s your ‘Cinderella &Four Knights’ ideal guy?

”I Love You, I Remember You” by I.O.I (released Aug 30)

Shortly after the group’s release of “Whatta Man” which changed my opinion of this group’s vocal prowess forever, I.O.I released their first OST for currently airing drama “Scarlet Heart: Ryeo.” The relatively slow and sweet ballad is definitely unexpected coming from this lively girl group and while not all the members were able to show off their unique styles or voices through this release, the song was good as a whole. The spotlight was also cast on a few members in particular, such as main dancer Chungha, who wowed this time not through her dance but through her stable and strong vocals. Rapper Yoojung stood out as well, especially since she did not get as many singing parts in their previous releases. The OST proved the potential and versatility of IOI and I hope that they’ll experiment with different genres of music in the future tracks they release.

–Anna

What’s your favorite song from last week? Did it make our playlist? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Playlist Sunday: K-Pop Feuds

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Playlist Sunday: Favorite February Releases

K-pop is a cutthroat battlefield in many ways, but the public feuds are few and far in between. This week’s Playlist Sunday focuses on some of the most sensational K-pop Feuds over the past few years, either between agencies and idols, or singer against singer.

While some K-pop feuds are between two people, the ongoing dispute between JYJ and SM Entertainment is something that has been going on so long that it has even led to action from Korean politicians. JYJ (Junsu, Yoochun, and Jaejoong) is made up of three former TVXQ members who left the group in 2009. Seven years later, the trio still finds their activities blocked bythe influence of their former agency. But in the “Untitled Song, Part 1” (Or “The Nameless Song, Part 1”), which was released as part of JYJ’s 2011 self-composed music essay, the three went out and attacked their former agency, addressing in song what had led to the trio splitting from the other two members of TVXQ. The song, written and composed entirely by Yoochun, details their time at SM Entertainment from 2003 in an earnest way that is lacking from many K-pop songs. The trio sings and raps about their hardships, their journey to the top in Korea and Japan, and the pivotal moment when they reached out to SM Entertainment’s CEO and were disappointed. “When he needed us, we were family to him,” sings JYJ. “When we needed him, we were strangers to him.” The song continues on to express that JYJ’s members realized they weren’t getting paid enough and other hardships and is a frank depiction, and explanation, of the turmoil that led JYJ to leave from TVXQ at the pique of the group’s height. The song ends with JYJ thanking fans for their support. Musically, the song is simple, but the lyrical storytelling is heartbreaking and shows JYJ’s side of a story.

— Tamar

Also on KultScene: 5 Everyday EXO Looks We Love [+ North American The EXO’luXion Tour Information]

Hot off the back of his win on “Show Me The Money,” iKon rapper Bobby released a diss track calling out all idol rappers. He said that they have smeared the name of idol and rapper but took the time to exclude WINNER’s Mino and Block B rappers Zico and P.O. While making some good points about the overall state of rapping idols, coming for the most of them meant he insulted a lot of people who probably don’t take rapping that seriously. You might say that maybe they should, but in the context of being an idol it makes up only one part of what is expected of them. Generally he came off as arrogant and whiny just to drum up some extra attention. I don’t think that VIXX’s Ravi’s response to him is in any way a better rap, but I do agree with the sentiments. His corny track “Diss Hater”
was about how he thinks all idol rappers are just that and it makes no difference how good you are. Listen to Ravi everyone, we’re all the same really so relax.

— Joe

Also on KultScene: ’20 Once Again’ vs. ‘Miss Granny’: Which One Is Better?

What do you do, as a big shot entertainment company, after you’ve “let” an artist go because of “misinterpretations” to then seeing them trying to make a comeback in the industry that you wanted to potentially claim yours? Due to some severely “mistranslated” and overlooked comments that ex-2PM member Jay Park made while still a trainee about the unfavorable aspects of Korea, he was then practically shunned from the industry and country. Although by the time Jay was ready to make his comeback in Korea in 2010, while everyone else was ready to welcome him back with open arms, JYP Entertainment wasn’t having any of that. The company made it so that Jay was blocked and blacklisted from making any possible televised appearance. Jay would be scheduled for certain tv shows, appear on set and then be told to leave and/or get calls the morning of and be told that for whatever unforeseeably reason, his appearance had been cancelled due to “pressure” from the “higher-ups.”

After an almost five year hiatus back in the United States, you can imagine that Jay’s comeback was anything but smooth. Things eventually got better; producers from certain broadcasting stations eventually realized that Jay would be able to grant them better viewership. Certain shows like “Immortal Song 2” and “Dream Team” brought him on knowing that aside from the past drama stemming between JYPE and Jay, that Jay himself would be good for their business. For the sake of their company and pressure from the industry, I get why the company sent Jay off like that, but they shouldn’t have gone about it the way that they did and even afterwards when things were long done between the two parties. Although it seems like the two have moved on from the past, JYP seems to still be holding on to some angst, considering how Jay can’t appear on “Running Man” due to the producers familial relationship with Park Jin Young himself.

— Tam

Who’s side are you on? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

K-Pop Songs That Should Have Music Videos

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Singers usually promote one or two songs from their mini or full-length album. And in many cases some of the songs are left without a music video or the love they deserve. Every artist has at least one song that fans think should have a music video. People’s choices will most definitely differ, but here are a few we think would make great music videos if not just for the extra promotion of the song, as long as the videos don’t look like they could feature on fulltube.xxx because music isn’t just about being sexualized, we have to grow out of that still after years.

Jay Park I Love You

Jay Park music videos can be extremely sexy and steamy, cute and sweet, or fun and having a good time. I Love You could be one of his sexy ones, or a video that goes the really sexy route, or one that plays with the chance of romance and steaminess. Jay actually did do a video that shows off a killer dance routine for the R&B-inspired song. And based on the dance, the whole music video can just focus on the dance in different settings with different outfits; keep it crisp and simple. The beat and music make I Love You the perfect song to showcase a sensual yet hard hitting dance routine. Sometimes all we need is a great dance music video to give us life.

Also on KultScene: MADTOWN ‘New World’ Music Video & Song Review

f(x) Spit It Out

Any f(x) song would have an equally awesome music video. They somehow manage to make most, if not all, of their songs stick with fans. Spit It Out is a fun, upbeat song that offers many different directions for a music video. An avant garde concept might work best based on the beat, use of ‘80s synths, and the video game sounds that are prevalent throughout. The heavily processed sounds would match a quirky styled music video and the ladies of f(x) can pull off any concept. Out-of-the-box hairstyles, clothing, accessories, and almost cartoon-like settings would create an unrealistic world that corresponds to the lyrics and the reaction of the narrator of the song.

SHINee One Minute Back

In all honesty, SHINee could make a video for any of their songs and it would be well received (in most cases). But One Minute Back has a different sound and musical pattern compared to their other singles. The guys’ vocals sound wonderful together and the chorus is inviting and somehow manages to make everyone sound like a great singer when they sing along. A One Minute Back music video would benefit with close-ups of each member as they’re singing and looking into the camera. A dance routine that utilizes a prop, possibly a chair, would have to be a stop-and-go type dance to match the music and the beat, but the perfect prop can create a memorable dance (similar to Dream Girl with the mic stands) and showcase different performers than what we may be used to.

VIXX B.O.D.Y

VIXX have intense concepts for their songs. They’re mainly dark, futuristic, and creepy in an artsy way. But B.O.D.Y is an upbeat song that’s not too cutesy or sugary. The video would definitely have a lighter theme than some of their most recent ones, but it would showcase the boys’ fun sides without being over-the-top bubble gum pop. For B.O.D.Y, a dance that has one or two moves as basically the whole dance might work best. The song itself isn’t groundbreaking in any way and an intricate dance wouldn’t fit the tone and neither would a super cute one. The guys don’t even have to dance in the video, just having a fun and upbeat VIXX song with a video would be a nice addition to their other singles.

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Seungri Let’s Talk About Love

Seungri did end up performing Let’s Talk About Love, but he never released a music video. In this music video, a concept that uses black, white, and red as the main colors for wardrobe and setting would create a classy atmosphere. Some silhouettes when Seungri sings the chorus and when G-Dragon and Taeyang appear in the song would create a sense of mystery and take the focus away from their facial features. Also close ups of GD and Taeyang as they’re singing/rapping with minimal lighting would emphasize their facial features and play with the shadows and angles on their faces; a sexy yet classy concept for Let’s Talk About Love.

What songs would you love to see have their own music video? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.